Hinkle Fieldhouse installed over 2,700 square feet of LED video board in preparation for the upcoming basketball season. Photo by Samantha Noga.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
Butler has installed a new central video board as part of a plethora of Hinkle Fieldhouse upgrades. These new additions include new ribbon boards and scoreboard above Dawg Pound, new scorer’s tables, vomitory displays at the 300 level, a matte finish on the court and even 19-inch video screens in each of the restrooms throughout the fieldhouse.
These efforts are spearheaded by athletic director Grant Leiendecker through Butler’s new partnership with PlayFly Sports in efforts to increase fan engagement and marketability.
PlayFly, which is a multimedia rights company, works with schools all over the country to manage all the digital signage in the arena, radio, social media and any other potential ad-generating spaces on behalf of the school.
With Leiendecker’s goal of creating a better fan experience, Butler’s PlayFly general manager, Kyle James, is able to follow his lead and bring the ideas to life.
“Grant [Leiendecker] has a goal to have the best atmosphere in college basketball,” James said. “We’re going to create a unique fan experience with the new assets, but also drive new revenue through those opportunities. We have some very premium spots right behind the basket, so when the point guard is dribbling up the floor, that camera angle is going to [be] right at the static, massive premium spot. From an advertiser standpoint, that is as good as it gets.”
In addition to generating ad revenue, Leiendecker hopes to improve the overall fan engagement and game day experience in Hinkle with the changes.
“Part of our arrangement with [PlayFly] is they’re helping to fund the renovations here,” Leiendecker said. “Our previous video boards were installed over 10 years ago, before we even had air conditioning in the building. They were built to be outdoors, lower definition, and technology has evolved so much that a new product will allow us to do more creative things on game day. [I’m] really excited about what it’s going to do not just for our fan experience, [but] the student athlete experience.”
The additional revenue generated from these new ad-spaces will be able to be put back into athletics as Butler claws to stay competitive in the ever-changing NIL world of college basketball and athletics.
From a player’s perspective, the new upgrades add to the allure of Hinkle.
“It’s awesome,” first-year men’s basketball forward Bryson Cardinal said. “We haven’t practiced here in about a month, and you kind of forget what it used to look like because it’s so great. It kind of brings a little bit more life in here.”
